Sharing Digital Resources in the Millennium Environment: the IRRI
Library and Documentation Service Experience
By Mila M. Ramos, Chief Librarian
Emerald Laxamana, Librarian – CatalogingInternational Rice Research Institute
Library & Documentation Service
Overview
• Introduction: apologies• The International Rice Research
Institute Library & its mission• Digital resources in the IRRI Library• Access points to digital resources• Cataloging Remote electronic
resources• Problems• Challenge to IT experts in the audience
Apologies
• There is nothing spectacular in this presentation
• The aim is simply to show how the IRRI Library is using the basic modules of the Millennium
• The audience is invited to comment or help us improve on what we have been doing
The International Rice Research Institute)
• IRRI was established in 1960• Currently one of the 15 international agricultural
centers under the umbrella of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
• The CGIAR centers focus on different subject areas or crops and 13 of them are located in developing countries
• IRRI conducts research on rice • Mission :
“to reduce poverty and hunger, improve the health of rice farmers and consumers, and ensure environmental sustainability through collaborative research, partnerships, and strengthening of national agricultural research and extension systems”.
The IRRI Library & Documentation Service
Objective no. 5 in IRRI’s Articles of Incorporation clearly states the role of the Library :
“to establish, maintain and operate an information center and library which will provide …for interested scientists and scholars everywhere, a collection of the world’s literature on rice”
More Facts about the IRRI Library
• started in 1961• the world’s most comprehensive
collection of technical rice literature• more than a quarter of a million
technical materials on rice• 138,000+ volumes of monographs
and reprints• 3,000+ journal titles
Millennium Modules in the IRRI Library
Major: Peripherals:-OPAC -URL checker-Cataloging -Advanced -Circulation searching-Serials-Acquisitions
IRRI’s Databases
• Online public access catalog (OPAC) with 76,000+ bibliographic records
• Rice database with 251,000+ bibliographic records
• Both databases sit on the Millennium platform
Access Points to Digital Resources: OPAC
Cataloging of Digital Resources
Web Display of Catalog Record
Access points to Digital Resources: E-Journals Link
E-Journals Link
Access Points to Digital Resources: E-Reference
Sources
Access Points to Digital Resources: Online Databases
Monitoring Links via the URL checker
Problems
• Lack of a systems librarian, who can work full-time in utilizing and applying enhancements on the system
• Limited financial resources • Monitoring of URLs• More training on the various modules
Enhancements desired
• Ability to toggle between the 2 databases in IRRI without the need to exit the system
• Allow URLs to be active, while viewing records via staff mode.
• Bib records for journals, without item records, display the message “ No copies available”, which is misleading for clients
More Enhancements
• When saving records, there should be an indication on the screen that the record was indeed saved. Or, perhaps, the number of records saved should appear on the screen
• User-friendly spine label printing using laser printers
• Export review files on different database management formats
Thank you.
